Revista Cubana de Ciencias Forestales (Apr 2022)
Wild birds´ illegal trade and their abundance in areas where they are captured, Niceto Perez municipality
Abstract
Wild animals´ illegal or prohibited trade is a global problem and constitutes a serious risk to threatened and endangered species. The research was carried out in Niceto Pérez municipality, Río Frío locality in Guantánamo province. The objective was to determine the species of wild birds that are illegally traded and their abundance in the municipality. A total of 95 surveys were applied to people involved in poaching for various purposes. A total of 16 most traded species in the municipality were identified during the period from November 2018 to May 2019. 15 census routes of four m wide by 1 000 m long for a total of 6 ha were surveyed, within which ten counting points were established in each one, with a distance from each other of 100 m. All birds seen or heard during ten minutes were inventoried. As a result of the inventory, 20 bird species were counted, grouped into six orders, 15 families and 21 genera. The order Passeriformes was the most representative, 62 % were permanent residents; of these, only six species coincided with those reported in the surveys as illegally hunted. It was found that, there are significant differences in the areas studied between the months monitored, especially in those that coincide with the reproductive period of the species.
